Liquid cooler



Jan. 27, 1948.- E.-F. CHISHOLM 2,

LIQUID COOLER Filed Feb. 18, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet 1 jrwezfior fiygene F C72 ishaZm Jan. 27, 1948.

E. F. CHISHOLM 2,435,03

LIQUID COOLER Filed Feb. 18, 1946 s sheetsxsheet 2 e Chisholm Jan. 27, 1948. E. F. CHISHOLM 'LI UID COOLER Filed Feb. 18, 1946 s Sheets-Sheet s Patented Jan. 27,, 1948 UNiTEo STATES PATENT OIFFICE LIQUID COOLER Eugene F. Chisholm, Portland, Oreg.

Application February 18, 1946, Serial No. 648,221

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for cooling liquids and more especially to milk coolers.

One of the principal objects of the invention is the provision of apparatus of this character which is of simple, efficient and durable construction and wherein a heat exchanger is utilized in precooling the refrigerant prior to its circulation through the apparatus.

These and other objects will appear as my invention is more fully hereinafter described in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and finally pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the main body of the cooler with parts broken away and in section for convenience of illustration.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of Figure 1, with parts also broken away.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the cooler and the heat exchanger applied thereto.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus, the heat exchanger, receiving tank, condenser, and compressor, showing the piping system by which they are all operatively interconnected.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings:

Reference numeral I indicates generally an evaporator consisting of a casing having top, bottom and side walls 2, 3 and 4 respectively and a rear wall 5. The cooling element generally indicated at 6 is disposed within the casing just described and consists of walls I and 8 spaced apart as shown and bent alternately up and down transversely as at 9 and Ill respectively to form transverse troughs II in step like formation as shown. The edges of the walls 1 and 8 are sealed by the side walls 4 of the casing.

The cooling element may be made up in sections of which I show three, each of which is supplied with a refrigerant through the medium of distributor pipes I 2 in open communication with an expansion valve l3 to which refrigerantis fed from a receiving tank l4 by means of a pipe l5. After the refrigerant enters the cooling element it is drawn upwardly by suction between the walls 1 and B and into a header or suction manifold, generally indicated at l6, which is connected with an enlarged pipe I! encasing a portion of the pipe l which is folded over on itself a numberof times as shown. The opposite end of the pipe I! is connected by pipe I8 with the suction side 19 of a compressor generally indicated at 20,

the outlet 2| of the compressor is connected by pipe 22 with a condenser generally indicated at 23, and the condenser is connected by pipe 24 with the receiving tank I. Thus it will be seen that when the compressor is in operation, refrigerant in liquid form is forced out of the receiving tank l4 through pipe [5 into the expansion valve l3. From the expansion valve the liquid refrigerant now gradually converting into expanding gas passes through the distributor pipes l2 and is drawn by suction upwardly between the walls I and 8 of the cooling element. From the top of said element the gas is drawn into the suction manifold l6 through the pipe [1 (heat exchanger), then through pipe [8 back to the suction side I9 of the compressor. The refrigerant is then forced through the condenser and back into the receiving tank as aforesaid. The refrigerant passing through the pipe I I reduces the temperature of the refrigerant as it passes through that portion of the pipe l5 encased by said pipe l1. I

The lowermost trough of the cooling element, as shown in Figure 2, terminates at one of its ends in a pouring spout 25 formed around an opening 26 in one of the side walls 4. The milk or liquid to be cooled is poured onto the cooling element above the uppermost transverse trough therein. As the milk cascades down the cooling element the troughs become progressively filled and chilled milk finally spills out of the opening 26 at the end of the lowermost trough as aforesaid. All spaces within the casing back of the wall 8 of the cooling element are filled with any approved type of heat-insulating material 21, such as a mixture of cork and pitch, or the like.

While I have shown a particular form of embodiment of my invention, I am aware that many minor changes therein will readily suggest themselves to others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A liquid cooler comprising an evaporator mounted in a frame and having two walls spaced apart throughout the length of the frame and sealed along both of its sides by the sides of said frame, said walls being bent alternately up and down transversely throughout their width into a series of spaced apart troughs, said evaporator being backed by heat-insulating material disposed between the back wall of the evaporator and the back wall of said frame, means for directing liquid refrigerant under pressure to an 3 4 inlet at one end of the evaporator, means for withdrawing gaseous refrigerant from an outlet UNITED STATES PATENTS header at the other end of the evaporator. and a Number Name Date heat exchanger disposed in the insulating mate- 2,393,387 Lee Jan 22 1946 rial and including portions of the last two men- 5 2,245,454 Baker June 1941 tioned means.

EUGENE F. CHISHOLM. FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date REFERENCES CITED 205,964 Great Britain Nov. 1, 1923 The following ref erences areof record in the 10 file of this patent: 

